Buckle folders are used to take a sheet of paper and fold it into any of a number of conventional user-selected formats, such as half or z-folds. Examples of conventional buckle folders can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,669,331; 3,796,423; 3,797,196; 3,841,621; 4,032,133; 4,099,710; 4,125,254; 4,586,704; 4,781,367; 5,048,809; 5,178,383; 5,269,744; 5,350,170; and 5,797,319 whose contents are hereby incorporated by reference into the instant patent application.
Currently, conventional buckle folders include a belt drive mechanism for transmitting rotational energy from the drive source (motor) to the various fold rollers. The belt drive used, however, is not a positive drive and after some usage, slippage occurs between the drive belt and the various drive and idler pulleys. This results in degradation in the operation of the folder.
In the past, alternative designs implementing a positive drive of some type in a folder have been proposed. For example, chain and sprocket drives have been proposed. However, chain and sprocket drives are very noisy and excessive noise is already an issue in the use of buckle folders. Also, this type of design does not incorporate a torque limiting device. Without this device, when a material jam occurs, the folder may get damaged.
Accordingly, there is room for improvement within the art.